Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: What's the difference?

Apple announced the next generation of its iPhones at an event in San Francisco on 7 September.

Despite some rumours suggesting otherwise, the two new handsets are being called the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, following the traditional naming cycle.

Plenty of rumours did the rounds over the few months prior to launch, but we now have all the official details. Here is how the iPhone 7 compares to the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6. Is it worth the upgrade?

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Design

The Apple iPhone 7 features a similar design to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6, though there are a couple of changes to note. The antenna strips on the rear have seen a move to the top for a cleaner look, while the 3.5mm headphone jack has been removed altogether in favour of a Lightning port only and stereo speakers.

The iPhone 7 also introduces offers IP67 waterproofing, while the home button has also been redesigned and the camera bump on the rear is a little larger and more refined. Two new colours have also been introduced for the new devices in the form of Black and Jet Black, with Apple saying bye bye to Space Grey for the iPhone 7. It will still come in Silver, Gold and Rose Gold.

The iPhone 7 measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and hits the scales at 138g. That means it is the same size as the iPhone 6S but lighter, with the older device measuring 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and weighing 143g. The iPhone 6 is thinner and lighter than both at 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm and 129g.

Both the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 look the same in terms of physical design but the iPhone 6S adds the Rose Gold colour option to the Space Grey, Silver and Gold models and it is made from a different aluminium. Neither are officially waterproof and they both have a physical Home button sporting Touch ID.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Display

The iPhone 7 sticks with a Retina HD display and the 4.7-inch size. That means a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels for a pixel density of 326ppi. Apple claims the new display is 25 per cent brighter however, and it also has a P3 colour gamut, meaning colours should be richer.

Both the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 offer a 4.7-inch LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. That puts both of their pixel densities at 326ppi, making them the same as the iPhone 7 in terms of sharpness.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 6S feature 3D Touch, while the iPhone 6 doesn't so more features are available on the later models, though the iPhone 6S and 7 should have the same functionality here.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Cameras

The iPhone 7 arrives with a new 12-megapixel sensor that sports an aperture of f/1.8 and a new six-element lens. Apple has added optical image stabilisation to the new device, along with a Quad-LED True Tone flash, body detection and wide colour capture.

The front camera has also upped its resolution to 7-megapixels, while also offering body detection, wide colour capture and auto image stabilisation. The Retina Flash is onboard and the front-facing camera will record in 1080p, while the rear is capable of 4K.

The iPhone 6S features a 12-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, both offering an f/2.2 aperture. It was this model Apple first introduced a Retina Flash to the front, along with a feature called Live Photos sp it isn't surprising to see them on the iPhone 7. It is also capable of 4K video recording.

The iPhone 6 has an 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera, again both with an aperture of f/2.2. The older iPhone doesn't feature a front flash, nor is it capable of Live Photos or 4K video recording. Neither the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 offer optical image stabilisation and both have a dual-LED True Tone flash rather than Quad-LED.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Hardware

The Apple iPhone 7 arrives with a new processor - the A10 Fusion. It has an embedded M10 motion coprocessor and it is said to be 40 per cent faster than the A9 and two-times faster than the A8. The GPU in the new iPhone 7 is claimed to add to the performance enhancement, with Apple saying it is 50 per cent better than the A9 and three-times better than the A8.

The battery life of the iPhone 7 is also said to be two-hours longer than the iPhone 6S. The iPhone 7 will be available in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage models.

The iPhone 6S features the A9 processor and an embedded M9 motion co-processor, along with 2GB of RAM. It was originally available in storage options of 16GB, 64GB and 128GB, but Apple has ditched the 16GB option and introduced a 32GB model here too. It has a 14-hour battery life.

The iPhone 6 has the A8 processor with a separate M8 motion co-processor, along with 1GB of RAM. Storage options available were 16GB and 64GB, but this iPhone has now been discontinued from Apple. The battery capacity was again 14-hours.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Software

The Apple iPhone 7 debuts with iOS 10, which was announced at WWDC in June. The company presented a few of the new features back then, including a revamp of messages.

It used the September event to announce real-time collaboration for iWork users, allowing users to work together with other iWork users on documents. Mario will also be coming to the App Store before Christmas and there will also be some special Mario stickers in iMessages. You can read our iOS 10 feature for everything you need to know on the new software.

The iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 have both been updated to iOS 10 now so the bulk of the user experience will be the same. There will probably be a few things the iPhone 7 will be capable of that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 won't, but most of the user experience between these three devices will be identical.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Conclusion

As with all succeeding smartphones, the iPhone 7 improves on its predecessors in several areas.

Although it looks similar, the iPhone 7 removes the headphone jack and antenna bands for a more seamless design, while it also adds waterproofing to the mix. Hardware also sees an improvement and there have been enhancements in the camera and battery departments too.

The change in the iPhone 7 isn't as dramatic as it was when the iPhone 6 launched a couple of years ago, but there are some good additions to the new device that will see a few wanting to upgrade, especially those with the iPhone 6.